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GumbyWVU

Nitro Member
Question for any acoustical engineers out there....

Knowing nothing about the topic, but wouldn't there be some way to retrofit existing dragstrips with acoustical dampening structures or architectural methods in order to reduce noise, thus being able to allow encroaching housing to be somewhat accommodated? My thoughts regarding the encroachment to a developed track that's been there for 30+ years a being different topic.

I can't say I've ever seen an article that addresses my question though, or attempts that have been made in the past. I see "walls" along parts of interstates and highways for noise pollution reduction for housing developments, but nothing about things like this for tracks. Surely something could be done that wouldn't cost a fortune and therefore helping to preserve tracks.

Maybe baffles along the lanes themselves for starters??
 
GumbyWVU said:
Question for any acoustical engineers out there....

Knowing nothing about the topic, but wouldn't there be some way to retrofit existing dragstrips with acoustical dampening structures or architectural methods in order to reduce noise, thus being able to allow encroaching housing to be somewhat accommodated? My thoughts regarding the encroachment to a developed track that's been there for 30+ years a being different topic.

I can't say I've ever seen an article that addresses my question though, or attempts that have been made in the past. I see "walls" along parts of interstates and highways for noise pollution reduction for housing developments, but nothing about things like this for tracks. Surely something could be done that wouldn't cost a fortune and therefore helping to preserve tracks.

Maybe baffles along the lanes themselves for starters??
Click to expand...
Charlotte has a wall along the left side after the grandstands end and for the first couple hundred feet of the shutdown area. I'm assuming that's what the purpose is, considering its only on one side and not the other. There's a neighborhood to the left of the track on the opposite side of the golf course, while there's no such housing development on the right side of the track to worry about.
 
I worked for a steel mill for many years. The furnace is quite loud when an arc is struck. We had a natural tree and scrub barrier along most of it and even used old boxcars as a barrier in othe places. Barriers can help but are not a perfect solution. Nitro is really loud. Keep in mind not only the noise but the traffic concerns the neighbors.
 
Unfortunatly this conversation is what has become of the world today. In the past "you were here first, ran a legitimate business, did'nt bother anyone, even the cows, and then the farmers and owners of nearby property owners cashed out and sold to developers. The new owners then developed that nearby property and soon forced those legitimate race tracks out of business. I admit some of those race track owners cashed out too.

It's anew world out there folks😰.
 
I am a recording artist/record producer, and I have built a few recording studios. Sound control and sound proofing in a recording studio is everything. Think of sound-waves as rings in the water when you throw a rock into a lake. Those sound waves go on forever until they hit something to stop them, which usually means reflecting them back to where they started, or they hit something that absorbs them, and they stop and don't go back to their source. There are several issues to deal with when you have the intense volume and sound pressure level of nitro drag racing.

The best way in my opinion to control the sound volume of nitro drag racing would be to have an enclosed environment, but that would be impossible as you would have to build a quarter mile long enclosed building (dragstrip) with walls and a roof with sound absorption material. No way that is going to happen, plus you would need insane ventilation built for sound reduction, as well as climate control for comfort. Again that will never happen, but that would control a lot of the sound and volume to the outside world.

You can also build very high walls on either side of the dragstrip that have sound absorbing material on them, but they would also have to be a quarter mile long, both sides of the track, and behind the starting line. That would help some, but still some of the sound would go up above the dragstrip where there is no roof. I don't think any track owner is going to build two very tall quarter mile long walls.

They talk about slowing the cars down, develop a nitro muffler system that can handle 11,000 horsepower without causing so much back pressure that the engines blow up and you might be able to lower the decibels some to take the edge off. That could also slow the cars down a bit and might be worth looking into if it means tracks not closing because of neighbors complaining. The problem with that is that there is nothing on planet earth that sounds like a blown nitro motor, nothing. We don't want to lose one of the most important and powerful things in our sport that truly separates it from every other motorsport out there, but we want the sport to survive with neighbors. Challenging times we are in...
 
time to reintroduce this article :)

www.chevyclassicsclub.com

Chicago Indoor Drag Racing | Chevy Classics Club

It took plenty of guts and a burning desire to forget the long winter months Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! That phrase wouldn’t be used for another six years but, on several Sundays in Chicago, Illinois, indoor drag racing took place. The year was 1962 and Chicago had several very famous drag strips...
www.chevyclassicsclub.com www.chevyclassicsclub.com
 
In my opinion, the majority of tracks that close are due to property value vs track profit. There are a few dirt tracks that have been closed by the opposition of neighbors despite being there long before the new residents. During my first visit to East Windsor (NJ) Speedway in the early 90's, I noticed the brand new $400k homes just over the backstretch wall and correctly predicted they would force the track to close. In parallel with your question, Flemington (NJ) Speedway was a thriving dirt track with neighbors who loudly opposed the clouds of dirt and noise, again despite it being around for decades. They paved the track and imposed muffler rules to appease the neighbors, but the fans rejected the new way of racing and the crowds disappeared. Flemington only survived a few years and was bought by developers who plowed it under. Personally, I enjoyed the new style of racing because you could actually hear the tires and suspensions working but I argree with the above points that muffled nitro would eliminate the shock and awe of the power..
 
I stumbled upon a related article about sounds from auto racing this morning when I randomly chose a 1974 Hot Rod magazine on Motor Trends web site.
If you subscribe (required) to Motor Trend the article is on page 54. I could have posted the article here, but I didn't want to risk any copyright laws.
 
I think Cynthia nailed it above. While encroaching houses can mean noise complaints, it also means rising property values. Drag strips have large tracts of cleared land ready to go in areas that generally have good roads etc already in place.
 
Luke Nieuwhof said:
I think Cynthia nailed it above. While encroaching houses can mean noise complaints, it also means rising property values. Drag strips have large tracts of cleared land ready to go in areas that generally have good roads etc already in place.
Click to expand...
I heard last year that Bandimere sold for $100 million. If you make $1 million a year profit and you can cash out for 100 years profit you can‘t blame them when they do it. I only hope they decide to relocate to continue the tradition.
 
when a race is coming to a track that has this issue just go around those neighborhoods and give them all free tickets to the race
maybe if they saw the races first hand they would be more understanding... oh and some free earplugs too !!
🤣🤣🤣
 
Does anyone ever think that maybe in the future, the only drag strips will be out in the middle of nowhere? Not close to homes, cities, etc etc.
 
All I know is the local government promised sound walls along Route 80 in NJ and all they did was amplify the sound…. Then they put in rumble strips and all you hear are trucks at night running over those things. The NHRA was founded to get racers off the streets and the communities loved it, but now everywhere there’s more on road reckless activity than ever before.
 
also paralleling cynthia's comments; wondering if encroaching development near obstacles (i.e. racetracks) prompt local gov'ts. to increase
property tax values to unsustainable levels?
 
I live near Maple Grove and for years the people living in the same township paid no real estate tax because of how much money Maple Grove pulled in. I heard that may have changed in recent years. Unfortunately, I am just outside of that area to benefit but still enjoy hearing the track on occasion when louder classes are running.
 
Nitro Bass! said:
I am a recording artist/record producer, and I have built a few recording studios. Sound control and sound proofing in a recording studio is everything. Think of sound-waves as rings in the water when you throw a rock into a lake. Those sound waves go on forever until they hit something to stop them, which usually means reflecting them back to where they started, or they hit something that absorbs them, and they stop and don't go back to their source. There are several issues to deal with when you have the intense volume and sound pressure level of nitro drag racing.

The best way in my opinion to control the sound volume of nitro drag racing would be to have an enclosed environment, but that would be impossible as you would have to build a quarter mile long enclosed building (dragstrip) with walls and a roof with sound absorption material. No way that is going to happen, plus you would need insane ventilation built for sound reduction, as well as climate control for comfort. Again that will never happen, but that would control a lot of the sound and volume to the outside world.

You can also build very high walls on either side of the dragstrip that have sound absorbing material on them, but they would also have to be a quarter mile long, both sides of the track, and behind the starting line. That would help some, but still some of the sound would go up above the dragstrip where there is no roof. I don't think any track owner is going to build two very tall quarter mile long walls.

They talk about slowing the cars down, develop a nitro muffler system that can handle 11,000 horsepower without causing so much back pressure that the engines blow up and you might be able to lower the decibels some to take the edge off. That could also slow the cars down a bit and might be worth looking into if it means tracks not closing because of neighbors complaining. The problem with that is that there is nothing on planet earth that sounds like a blown nitro motor, nothing. We don't want to lose one of the most important and powerful things in our sport that truly separates it from every other motorsport out there, but we want the sport to survive with neighbors. Challenging times we are in...
Click to expand...

RIght......well I was just wondering if there were viable options for tracks to adapt. It's a shame that tracks have to face closing because of it.

Sadly, though, in 10 years they might all be electric cars. YAWN.
 
Cliff said:
Does anyone ever think that maybe in the future, the only drag strips will be out in the middle of nowhere? Not close to homes, cities, etc etc.
Click to expand...
Thats what they thought when they built Firebird, Beeline, and Speedworld. LOL
 
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